


Under the Sea

by TheCatDemonofInk



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 22:16:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19304920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCatDemonofInk/pseuds/TheCatDemonofInk
Summary: We all know how the story goes. Mermaid falls in love with prince on land, makes questionable decision, gets legs, gets into trouble on land and ends up marrying the Prince or dying, depending on which version of the story you read.There was a gorgeous man on the surface, and Mathieu can't help falling in love with him.But no story ever happens in isolation. And fate has its way of prodding us to where we need to be.





	1. Chapter 1

The young blond man on the boat had the clearest blue eyes he had ever seen, eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. He was beautiful and he was relaxing on the top deck of the boat, looking out into the sea. He was saying something, eyes lighting up again, bright hair waving in the sea breeze. 

He was absolutely gorgeous. 

Mathieu really wanted to kiss him.

Diving back down with a sigh, Mathieu flew back down through the sea water, down to the seaweed where Arthur is waiting, with a raised eyebrow. After having practically been raised by Arthur, he’s learned to read that particular expression as ‘I know you’ve been up to no good, but I’m going to let Francis deal with it’. 

Arthur swam fast, and Mathieu has no more time to think as he pushes himself to keep up. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s been the better part of a moon cycle when Mathieu hears that there’s a witch who can grant any wish. He’s spent most of that moon cycle near the surface, staring at the beautiful golden haired boy beyond, ignoring Arthur and Francis’ worried questions. He’s been doing that for a while now, ever since he found the golden haired boy. Mathieu is drawn to the boy in a way he can’t describe, entranced in a way he’s never been with the other mer. 

The witch lives up near the colder seas, and the cave he lives in is freezing and dark. Mathieu runs a nervous hand over his left arm. There’s a shiver running down his spine, or at least he thinks it’s a shiver. 

There’s light dancing on the wall of the cave, and it’s pale and indistinct. Mathieu swims in deeper, calls echoing back to him. 

Mathieu doesn’t even know if he’s in the correct place. It’s dark here and he might well have gotten lost in the depths of the sea. Damn, he should have told Arthur or Francis. But then they would have asked why and Francis would never stop teasing him. He’s about to turn and return back to the light when a voice like snow whispers. “You are here to see me, da?”

Matthieu flinches hard and nearly goes flying out of the cave. A cold hand, colder even than the sea catches him and holds on. “Little mermaid, here to ask for poor little Ivan’s aid? What would the little mermaid ask of Ivan?”

The witch terrifies Mathieu more than his surroundings do. He’s smiling all the while, holding onto a little sea flower. His face is pale and there’s a scarf tied around his neck. The scarf might once have been white, though it’s hard to tell in the low glowing light.There’s a knife in his hand, fingers wrapping gently around the handle. 

“I… I want to go… to… the surface. The… land.”  
“Kokokoko. The little mer wants to go to the surface, does he? Why does the little mer want to go, Ivan asks?”  
“There’s a… a boy there. He’s gorgeous and he… I…”  
“Koko, so the little mer has a crush! Ivan sees. Ivan is good witch. Ivan sees if he can help the little mer with a pretty voice.”

The witch waves at Mathieu as he pretends not very convincingly that he is not swimming as fast as he can out of the cave. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ivan smiles gently at the dear little mermaid with such a pretty tail and such a pretty voice. Such pretty, pretty purple eyes. Such a sweet, soft voice. 

Ivan presses a hand to the murky pearl. He must see this ‘gorgeous boy’ that’s got this poor little mer in such a tizzy. 

The boy comes into view. And oh, if this isn’t interesting indeed! The boy is a prince and he speaks even now to… oh, he speaks to that man. 

Ivan remembers that man, with black hair and brown eyes that once smiled so softly at him. He remembers soft, silky fabric on the seaside as the man spoke of scholars and artists and of politics. He remembers the man teaching him beautiful characters, teaching him poetry and explaining how he traversed the sea, guided only by the wind and what he called a compass. 

Oh, he does remember that man well. 

So is that what he does?

After telling Ivan for years that he couldn’t get married because of his kingdom, after spending years telling Ivan that he would not marry, he would marry a young blond prince? 

So it wasn’t that he wouldn't marry after all. It’s that Yao wouldn’t marry him. 

Well, he knew what he would make this little mer’s cost for this be.


	2. Chapter 2

Francis had asked after him, concerned about his recent disappearance. He hadn’t told his brother anything. This time, when he went to that deep, dark cave, he was greeted by a cold, quiet woman with long white hair with a bright blue bow in her hair. Her eyes were freezing and she led him quietly to the witch.

The witch smiled at him once again. “Little mer has returned to Ivan, he has! Does the little mer still want Ivan’s aid?”

Mathieu nods hesitantly and the witch smiles. “Ivan can give little mer legs for month. And then little mer has to get the prince to love him or the little mer’s life is forfeit?”

“What… how do I show that the prince loves me? What will it cost?”

“Ivan is very glad the little mer asked. Ivan asks only for simple things! Ivan only asks that the prince marry the little mer. And the price is very simple, very very simple. All Ivan asks is for the little mer’s voice.”

“My… my voice?” 

The witch smiles gently. Mathieu felt a soft tentative feeling creep down his spine. But it was only his voice. And it couldn’t possibly be that hard to get the boy to marry him after all. 

And he was very pretty. 

Mathieu nodded, and felt his voice leave his body. He opened his mouth to speak and found he couldn’t say a thing.

And he felt himself rising to the surface.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He breaks the water near a rock, spluttering and gasping as the water that is so familiar to him suddenly feels freezing and oppressive. He needs to learn to breathe air now, and he takes in a sweet sharp breath of air, gripping onto a rock with his new, far more temperature sensitive arms. 

Mathieu slips, nearly falling under the water again before he gets his grip on the rock. 

He sees land up ahead, and he suddenly realises he has no idea how to use these new legs. He realises this, because he tries flapping them in synchrony as he would his tail, and instead of being propelled, he just whacks his legs on the rock. 

And goddamn but it does certainly hurt. 

He flops into the water, nearly gasping from the salt, and lets it carry him away. Not one day into his experience of land and he was already failing. 

He washes up on a shore, to his surprise and there’s a cry in the distance. A young man with white hair and red eyes runs up to him and supports him out of the water with what Mathieu notices are rather strong arms. Mathieu blinks up at him, soundless. 

Right. He didn’t have a voice. And also, he just realised he didn’t know which direction the palace was in, or where the boy was. 

Oh, but the witch has called him ‘prince’ right? That would mean that he would live in a castle. Or so he recalls Arthur telling him as a bedtime story. 

… Mathieu just realises he is unable to communicate with the man at all with no voice. 

The man kneels down to him and speaks to him. To Mathieu’s surprise, he can understand the man. His voice is nice, and his accent is more guttural than Francis’. 

“Who are you? What do you want?”

Mathieu opens his mouth and closes it, frustrated. He has frankly no idea how to communicate anything. He attempts to stand up, only to slip and fall again. The red-eyed man catches him, looking amused. He is lain down on the sand while supported, and a dark green jacket covers him. 

“Ludwig! Bring an extra set of clothes from the ship!”

Mathieu hears the thud of boots and before long, a man approaches, carrying fabric. 

The man, Ludwig, the red-eyed one called him, salutes and then cuts down, raising an eyebrow at the red eyed man. 

“Captain Beilschmidt, the boat is ready to go.”  
“Thank you.”

Mathieu attempts to struggle into the clothes not quite sure how to work the pants until the man helps him. As soon as he’s gotten into the pants, he tries to get to his feet. Having not quite figured out how feet work and legs work, Mathieu falls down again. Captain Beilschmidt just grips his shoulders, swings one of Mathieu’s arms around his neck, and then sweeps Mathieu onto his back and starts to walk towards the boat. 

"Keep your grip on your arm.”

Gilbert tries to communicate to Mathieu more as they walk but Mathieu can’t figure out 

The boat, when they reach it, is far less complex than the boat he’d seen the prince on. But it’s a functional boat all the same and it cuts through the water. 

Mathieu stands on the deck once he’s gotten the hang of standing and feels the sea breeze blow past his face and feels the fresh sunlight. It’s different from being under the sea but it’s an interesting experience nonetheless. 

So, this is what it’s like to be human.


End file.
